1) Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to cutting devices of the type commonly referred to as utility knives and more particularly, to improvements to such knives.
2) Discussion of Related Art
So-called utility knives have been around for several decades. Each are usually simple in construction usually including a handle, a slidable blade holder and a trapezoidal blade. The trapezoidal blade is conventional and includes a long sharpened edge and two sides that form an acute angle with respect to the sharpened edge and a top edge that includes locking notches. This blade fits snugly within the blade holder and the blade holder fits within the handle. The conventional handle is usually made up of two halves that may lock together and further includes a slot through which a portion of the blade holder may pass (in the form of a finger purchase) and provide access to the user so that the user may selectively slide the blade holder as desired within a restricted range of displacement. The blade may selectively be displaced between a fully retracted position wherein the blade is safely positioned within the housing and a fully extended position wherein one side of the trapezoidal blade protrudes from the handle so that useful cutting work may be performed.
Although the blades of such conventional utility knives can be replaced as required, there is a growing demand to provide simple, safe and easy to use disposable utility knives that can be used and then thrown away when the blade becomes dull. In some cases, these disposable utility knives may require automatically activated covers or shields that move to cover and protect the otherwise exposed sharpened edge when the blade is not being used to cut, yet remains on “standby” with the blade protruding from the handle.
It is a first object of the invention to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art.
It is another object of the invention to provide a useful, low cost disposable utility knife that is made up of few parts.
It is another object of the invention to provide a low cost disposable utility knife that is made up of few parts and includes an integral automatically activated safety cover that covers the sharpened edge of the exposed blade when the blade is not in use.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a utility knife that is easy to use and that uses both sides of the conventional utility blade without opening the handle assembly.